From Vision to Reality: AI at the Heart of University Digital Transformation

Abstract

Keynote at the 2ème Edition du Colloque International Communication et Transformation Numérique: Enjeux, Dynamiques Pratiques Innovantes, held 15-17 May 2025 in Oujda and Berkane, Maroc. The digital transformation of higher education has evolved from a technical aspiration into an institutional imperative. Catalysed by the COVID-19 pandemic, universities worldwide were forced into a rapid digital shift, revealing profound structural, pedagogical, and social vulnerabilities. While technology was essential to continuity, the most critical insight from this experience is that digital transformation is not just about tools or platforms—it is, fundamentally, about people, culture, and mindset. This keynote explores how artificial intelligence (AI), and more specifically, generative AI (GenAI), has become both a catalyst and a challenge in the evolving landscape of higher education. The arrival of tools like ChatGPT and other GenAI models has created an inflection point between vision and reality. No longer confined to specialized research domains, AI has entered the everyday fabric of teaching, learning, and governance. It generates new possibilities for personalization, creativity, and operational efficiency, but also introduces complex ethical, social, and strategic dilemmas. A central thesis of this keynote is that AI adoption must be governed by a values-driven, participatory, and strategic approach. Drawing on international frameworks, including the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, UNESCO recommendations, and the Safe AI in Education Manifesto, the presentation outlines how universities can move from fragmented experimentation to coherent AI governance. This involves aligning institutional strategies with legal and ethical standards, promoting human oversight, and ensuring transparency, inclusivity, and innovation. The presentation also examines the perceptions, concerns, and aspirations of key university stakeholders (teachers, students, researchers, and decision-makers) in relation to AI. For teachers, GenAI offers support in creating content, diversifying assessments, and facilitating personalized learning. Yet it also raises concerns about authorship, evaluation integrity, and overdependence on technology. Students benefit from AI-enhanced creativity, productivity, and language support, but face risks related to superficial learning, equity, and ethical boundaries. Researchers gain efficiency through automation and synthetic data, but must contend with challenges around source reliability, academic honesty, and privacy. Meanwhile, university leadership is tasked with balancing innovation and competitiveness with accountability and sustainability. To address these complexities, the keynote proposes a structured governance framework for AI in universities, built on four core principles: 1. Legality: AI must comply with existing regulations such as the GDPR and the EU AI Act. 2. Neutrality: Systems must be designed to mitigate algorithmic and data biases. 3. Transparency: All processes involving AI should be explainable and open to scrutiny. 4. Innovation: Responsible experimentation must be encouraged to foster institutional growth. These principles translate into practical governance structures, including the creation or reinforcement of: • An AI Commission for strategic direction and institutional coordination. • An Ethics Committee to oversee fairness and human dignity in AI use. • A Data Protection Officer with AI-specific responsibilities. • A Technical Services Unit to ensure operational alignment. • An Expert Advisory Group with interdisciplinary insight to assess evolving challenges. This ecosystemic approach enables universities to integrate AI into their digital transformation strategies while protecting their academic mission and institutional integrity. Finally, the keynote emphasizes that universities must not merely react to AI but lead its ethical integration and pedagogical reimagination. The goal is not to build AI-powered systems, but to cultivate an AI-augmented academic culture, a culture in which critical thinking, collaboration, and human-centred innovation remain at the core of educational practice. In conclusion, this keynote is a call to action for universities to move from vision to reality by embracing AI not only as a technological opportunity but as a profound responsibility. By investing in governance structures, training programs, and ethical foresight, universities can position themselves as stewards of the digital era, ensuring that the rise of AI strengthens, rather than disrupts, the foundational values of education.